Notes on BioChem and Cybertech in Game Update 1.1

[DEuZZ]

For one thing, the point of crafting anything is so the gear you make is better than what vendors sell. I do agree that the med kits "over" heal and that needs tweaked, but you can't be considering changing the cooldown. Medpacs dropped or bought are 90 secs, so are Biochemists going to be punished for crafting their own with what? 2 mins? 3 mins? Would give up and take up slicing but you've taken a gaffi stick to that too, innit! Some clarification as to what you're reducing Bio and Cyber to would have been nice.

 

Anyway, that's my whinge done, keep up the good work and all that.

 

Totaly agree with you, they should NOT change the cooldown, if they do, they need change the cooldown for ALL medpacks, or then people useing normal medpacks will be "OP"...

[EternalFinality]

Everyone who wasn't an idiot knew this was coming. Thank you.

[Viga]

I gimped myself by rolling a melee class. When are you nerfing everyone else?

[Kaldorel]

So.....Marauders are already gimped in pvp......so when we find something to benefit us, biochem, and bring us up to speed with the rest of the classes, ALL of which have CC to the extreme, and we have nothing but a wack skill with a 2min cd to break us free of ONE of them....you nerf it, and again gimp us. Marauders need force push and an ability to make us immune to cc. It is ridiculous that we have to be directly in the fray and our only ability that sustains us takes 50% of our remaining hp....plz do better bioware.

 

Oh and also, thanks for not aiding me with the only issue with a bug that I had in this game that caused my 400 arch to reset to 0....great way to assist.

[nKSharp]

Was hoping to see changes to the crafting only components ie medkits and speeder bikes.

 

It's annoying being able to craft items and not be able to give them to people.

[CornBreadtm]

If a level 50 medpac gave me 1% hp back it would still be better than anything I could make with my armstech.

 

I mean seriously I hit 400 bought the 400 schematics and my level 49 blaster (which I've been modding since chapter 1) blew everything I could make out of the water.

 

Did some dailies and the 23 barrel mod that I bought. It made my 22 barrel useless.

 

Stop nerfing and start fixing. Unless you remove everything craftable for biochem and cybertech for levels 40~50 they will blow everything else out of the water. They make implants and ear slots they are naturally better because they make everything that is hard to come by. But then nobody would use them and crafting would be pointless altogether.

 

23 barrel is 8 daily commendations, ear slot is 120 daily commendations. You get around 30 Commendations a day. Armstech is useless. Nuff sed.

[Rykzon]

This indicates that a small number of competitive players have been denying access to high end content based on whether a player has the BioChem Crew Skill.

 

I highly doubt competetive players are still playing this game.

[Kerrunch]

You folks are doing a great job; paying attention to the chatter and ensuring that individual game play and choice allows us an advantage or disadvantage based on player skill without providing Uber-osity that entices everyone to be the same.

 

Having played WoW for more than 2 years, I've been in dismay as a game that had challenge and diversity has melted into monotonous button pushing. Professions no longer have an impact on game play in WoW. Anyone can pick any profession and get the same results. That robs the player of the fun that comes from challenge.

 

I want to be challenged to figure out the best combinations for my style of play.

 

Thanks for doing a great job at this!

 

Tom

[TUXs]

In fact we have additional changes to classes and consumables currently in internal testing to deal with faster than anticipated kill times in player versus player combat in a future patch.

 

A "future" patch? No sense in rushing things huh? Please speed it up Georg - this should have been obvious during beta.

[DaedaIus]

I don't think the problem is that biochem is too good, but other crew skills are gimped by the lack of truly unique items that require extremely rare materials to create. The most valuable, highest level gems in the game for example, are being sold for pennies compared to what the players who are able to use the items that those materials are used to make actually farm in income. Corusca Gems should be valued at something like 10k on the market, at the least, but they are too abundant and lowbies who grind their crew skills are able to get them through Treasure Hunting, have no idea what their value is, and thus screw up the GT.

 

Which brings me to my next observation about problems with crew skills: There should be a cap on your crew skill training based on your toon's level. To prevent low level players from getting items they can't use, or selling items in the GT with no real perspective on their value, and vastly undercutting players who are capable of using those items and know what they're worth. Thank you

[Yozbick]

So Biochem is basically useless in Warzones now?

 

The Medpacs heal less than the Warzone heals and have been placed on the same timer.

 

The Adrenals do less than the Warzone adrenals and have been placed on the same timer.

 

Sooooo glad I picked up Biochem because it was useful in PVP Warzones.

[bhoot]

BioChem crafted medical kits were too good. In fact, they were too good both in the amount of healing they provided (often more than half a character’s health) and the frequency they could be used (every 90 seconds!). This was negatively impacting the game for everyone else. We’ve seen significant chatter both in and out of game about how players not picking up the BioChem professions would be ‘stupid’ and ‘gimping themselves’. This indicates that a small number of competitive players have been denying access to high end content based on whether a player has the BioChem Crew Skill.

 

Trying to make something better without fully understanding the issue, if there is one at all.

 

First of all, there is nothing wrong with a profession being mandatory for competitive players. PvP or endgame.

 

Also, not all of you players are playing for competitive reasons.

 

There are tons of them, I'd think a vast majority, who find no interest in PvP.

 

Please don't ruin the gameplay for them just because a tiny fraction of noisy PvP players are doing something that you didnt' intend.

 

I dont' know, maybe simply make those "oh-so-overpowered" items unusable in PvP arenas/warzones? Just a thought.

[bjbm]

TL;DR

 

The other crafting professions are useless and we plan to make Biochem and Cybertech just as useless.

 

Pretty much sums up patch 1.1.

 

Bioware too damn lazy to make correct fixes so instead just takes the weaksauce way out.

[Eltohan]

I think the Operative/Scoundrel whatever burst during the 3 sec stun they do upon opening is absurd.

 

I think the lag spikes during which you hit an invisible wall and sometimes get D/C with a bland Error 9000 is frustrating.

 

I think the ability delai is infuriating, when sometimes you have to spam the stupid key for th game to at least use it (if you're not dead by that point !)

 

I think there are performances issues overall much more important than nerfing Biochem !

 

If people really wanted to get competitive and it's was the way to go, well they do it. If you nerf it and something else is now better, they'll powerlevel as fast as possible the new skill...

 

 

For all of us that chose this skill cause others were not really interesting, we, once more, feel cheated

 

Your priority list must be something to see, we all should have a good fun at it.

[malignment]

So Biochem is basically useless in Warzones now?

 

The Medpacs heal less than the Warzone heals and have been placed on the same timer.

 

The Adrenals do less than the Warzone adrenals and have been placed on the same timer.

 

Sooooo glad I picked up Biochem because it was useful in PVP Warzones.

 

/signed.

 

amazingly stupid. Stupid. Did I mention stupid?

 

I mean, I understand not being able to stack the buffs. But shared cooldowns? ***!

 

Why not just make it so one buff replaces the other, but they don't share cooldowns.

 

Get a clue. You guys have super sized your nerf bat and obviously love to use it.

[panacuba]

I agree with all the changes they are going to make, way to op in comparison to other crafting professions

[Your_Ad_Here]

 

 

BioChem crafted medical kits were too good. In fact, they were too good both in the amount of healing they provided (often more than half a character’s health) and the frequency they could be used (every 90 seconds!). This was negatively impacting the game for everyone else. We’ve seen significant chatter both in and out of game about how players not picking up the BioChem professions would be ‘stupid’ and ‘gimping themselves’. This indicates that a small number of competitive players have been denying access to high end content based on whether a player has the BioChem Crew Skill.

 

 

Cybertech grenades, especially when stacked with additional power-ups and other temporary buffs, were creating combat damage burst potential higher than we were comfortable with and caused player versus player engagements in the game to resolve faster than intended. In fact we have additional changes to classes and consumables currently in internal testing to deal with faster than anticipated kill times in player versus player combat in a future patch.

 

 

I'm glad you looked into this and are taking steps to balance things out. No one profession or crafting skill should be better than others. Hopefully crafting will keep fresh here than it is in EQ2 .... no one wants player made stuff anymore unless it is the high end level 90 stuff or need to pay out the wazoo for rare reactants.

[fungihoujo]

Doesn't this just make it so biochem is more necessary to have than before? All this really means is you can't take it then drop it once you have your reusables for another crew skill... which really isn't much of an issue since everything else still sucks.

 

What are you going to do next patch when people are still saying 'you would have to be nuts to take anything but biochem'? Because the truth is... you still would have to be nuts to take anything but biochem if you want to be competitive.

[Techniq]

Regardless of the PVP functionality changes for Biochem, someone feel free to correct me if I'm wrong but I have one huge question with specific changes to Biochem in the 1.1 patch.

 

Prior to 1.1 - Energized and Exotech Medpacs, Stims, and Adrenals were Bind on Equip and did not require Biochem. Thus, once you found the schematics for them you could make them for other - non Biochem Crew Skill having players - to use/have Reusable Medpacs, Stims, and Adrenals. They were good, but not as good as the Rakata as far as stats were concerned - so Biochem still had a bonus for the crew skill.

 

POST 1.1 Patch - Energized, Exotech, and Rakata now require Biochem 400 to use. Energized and Exotech require Schematics and are not as good as Rakata. Rakata is learned from the Crew Skill Trainer. So, Energized and Exotech are completely pointless now and there's no reason to make them since you can just make Rakata without having to work for the Schematics.

[Winter_Lotus]

People are suppose to spend their time crafting useless items? Is that the point of crafting? Because thats essentially whats being done here.

 

Since crafting has become pointless that also eliminates the GTN. Effectively killing off two long term aspects of the game.

 

I can guaranty you theres more ways to balance a game than nerfing. This is just the quick lazy way of fixing a non-issue and the road to mediocrity.

 

<<<Beware>>> Laziness leads to failure.

[Pheelon]

Regardless of the PVP functionality changes for Biochem, someone feel free to correct me if I'm wrong but I have one huge question with specific changes to Biochem in the 1.1 patch.

 

Prior to 1.1 - Energized and Exotech Medpacs, Stims, and Adrenals were Bind on Equip and did not require Biochem. Thus, once you found the schematics for them you could make them for other - non Biochem Crew Skill having players - to use/have Reusable Medpacs, Stims, and Adrenals. They were good, but not as good as the Rakata as far as stats were concerned - so Biochem still had a bonus for the crew skill.

 

POST 1.1 Patch - Energized, Exotech, and Rakata now require Biochem 400 to use. Energized and Exotech require Schematics and are not as good as Rakata. Rakata is learned from the Crew Skill Trainer. So, Energized and Exotech are completely pointless now and there's no reason to make them since you can just make Rakata without having to work for the Schematics.

 

so true -.-

 

well it would work if they just replaced the rakata stuff with energized (learned from trainer) but at least ther's nothing like that in the notes (yet?)

[Fatesender]

Hard to buy the reasoning when we all know it's the post slicing nerf whiners pointing their fingers that's causing this. It's not just a pvp nerf, it's a pve nerf also. Just one less option for tanks to keep themselves up.

 

If this is going to be Bioware's way of dealing with crew skills, why bother wasting the massive time/credit sink into doing these in the first place. My next character is going crew skill free....what's the point?

Edited January 17, 2012 by Fatesender

[Tribe_Kishala]

To be fair, I think WoW got it right for the most part with crafting, as much as I might hate to admit it. There needs to be more recipes for the various weapon and armouring crew skills that fill gaps. While they shouldn't nessecarily be better than say FP drops, they should be close enough it doesn't make much difference while leveling. They should be easier the access as well.

 

The entire commendation system needs to be reworked. I love the idea that I can basically PVP for all my gear as that gear is top notch. It shouldn't be that way as the gear is too easy to obtain. PVP gear should be tailored to PVP primarily and PVE to PVE, with some interchangability.

 

The Biochem skill should be looked at similar to what WoW offered with Alchemy. Interchange some ideas of both systems to make the end result fitting to SWTOR. Biochem should be a great help to FP's, Op's, and PVP but not a giant game changer as it is currently.

 

As with all new MMO launches that I've been a part of, there are many issues. Things look great on paper that don't nessecarily do as well in-game as thought. Give them time. They've done more to-date than others at launch.

 

Time will tell in the end.

[willneu]

Firstly to the wirter who said that this is only a PvP problem, endgame medpacks, stims and adrenals were at a point where a healer was of negligible use in some circumstances. And yes you will always have eliteists and min maxers in any MMO its part of human nature to do the best we can with what we have. If an element of a game is at a point where people demand it as a requirement or neglect the individual from experiencing the game as a whole then it should defineately be changed, i totally agree with these alterations and applaud Bio for taking the initiative and giving the preverbial middle finger to eliteists.

 

Its better to please the masses than to tailor the game for the few who dedicate their lives to making it boring.

[Eltohan]

Hard to buy the reasoning when we all know it's the post slicing nerf whiners pointing their fingers that's causing this. It's not just a pvp nerf, it's a pve nerf also. Just one less option for tanks to keep themselves up.

 

If this is going to be Bioware's way of dealing with crew skills, why bother wasting the massive time/credit sink into doing these in the first place. My next character is going crew skill free....what's the point?

 

I agree 100%